10. Hon TREVOR MALLARD (Labour—Hutt South) Link to this
to the Minister of Labour
Did she explain in person to the Minister of Māori Affairs her reason for rejecting his submission on the minimum wage review; if so, what was his response?
Michael Woodhouse
Hon KATE WILKINSON Link to this
Yes. I have seen a report from the Otago Daily Times, which, unlike the member, could understand that this Government’s decision on the minimum wage was “able to appeal—
Hon Dr Michael Cullen Link to this
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. Does the Minister understand that she is making disparaging remarks about one of her own colleagues?
Mr SPEAKERThat is most inappropriate. That was not a helpful point of order, Dr Cullen. I apologise to the Hon Kate Wilkinson. Could she please resume her answer.
Hon KATE WILKINSON Link to this
Yes. I have seen a report from the Otago Daily Times, which, unlike Mr Mallard, could understand that this Government’s decision on the minimum wage was “able to appeal to the sense of fairness and realism of much of the middle New Zealand.”
Hon Trevor Mallard Link to this
Can I ask the Minister why she chose not to meet with Dr Sharples, or even to ring him up about this?
Hon KATE WILKINSON Link to this
As I answered yesterday, I received a letter from the Minister of Māori Affairs. I also read a submission from Te Puni Kōkiri. We took those submissions into consideration when calculating a fair, balanced, and realistic minimum wage.